Northern Lights Southern Cross is a Canadian immigrant’s journal. My spouse and I have been living in Alberta for twelve years now, and this rugged landscape has become our home. These entries describe our journey through the days...our random thoughts, our lofty dreams, our faltering steps, our bright hopes. Please join us for a brief sojourn or an entire season.

11 September 2010

I asked someone to take this photo because both these girls are likefamily to me: Lynne is my "twin" at seminary (same birth month andyear; same country of origin; similar accent), and Rachel Phillips ismy Canadian"cousin."

01 September 2010

On CrossLight (my companion blog) I'll post something soon about a Spiritual Inventory I did online today--a complete disaster, showing catastrophic areas of growth needed, and soon!--but for now let me say I am at peace.

I live in a free country; rent a lovely home with a wild green garden; have more than enough resources to meet all my needs (and a merciful Creator who fills every part of me with His life-giving presence); I am surrounded by a quantity of quality friends, neighbours, colleagues and kin; I keep meeting new/old friends--earlier today Bee (BG's li'l sister and EB's soulmate) and I discovered that we, too, were both left-handed, enjoyed Austen and loved letter writing--and technology makes it possible to chat to friends long distance and feel like we're in the same room; I love celebrating Special Days with Special People and look forward to each new morning; and as I finish my teaching prep for the week, I realise I am glad to be "back to school."

I'll write more about my new/old friend later this week--when I've finished grading all my English Placement Tests, and survived my first week back at school, and downloaded the photos R and I took today for a book of poems I'm editing for a dear friend, and submitted the final round of changes to the designer for another book I've just finished proofreading, and written to my mommy (I promised her a weekly letter when I came home in July), and attended our first chapel service at seminary, and...more.

But tonight let me just say how, once in a rare while, I meet someone who seems...familiar.

Not only do we have an eerie amount in common, but already I feel a real fondness for my new friend's extended family. Like we were meant to be friends; meant to be part of the same extending, embracing circle.

And to think it all started with a phone interview for the Horizon last semester, and the writing of an article about my new/old friend's sister(in-law), which I'll post here on Friday. So: watch this space.

Happy birthday, EB.

Affectionately,
Moo

(Why on God's green earth this is your chosen nickname for me remains a mystery, but there you have it...)